Grammar Tip: The Problem with Relative Adverbs. Or, How is “However” different than “Although?”

Different parts of speach call for different punctuation.

Question: Are both the sentences below correct? What's difference between them and how can I remember it?

I went to the race track, although my brother decided to stay home.

I went to the race track, however, my brother decided to stay home.

Answer: The first sentence is correct, but the second sentence is incorrect. The issue is the connecting comma. It's correct to connect the two clauses in the first example with a comma. It's incorrect to do so in the second. Here's why, and what to do about it:

In the first example, we have the two independent clauses (clauses that stand on their own as sentences), “I went to the race track” and “My brother decided to stay home,” connected by “although.” In the second example, the connector is “however.”

“Although” is a subordinating conjunction. (Don't worry about the grammar jargon.) An independent clause (“My brother decided to stay home.”) with a subordinating conjunction in front becomes a subordinate clause (“Because my brother decided to stay home . . . “) that must be connected to an independent clause (with or without a comma).

“However,” on the other hand, is a relative adverb (a.k.a. “conjunctive adverb,” depending on the book you're reading). An independent clause with one of these fellows in front of it is still an independent clause. So we may not connect it to another independent clause with a comma. Watch:

Although my brother decided to stay home. [This is not a sentence. It's a subordinate clause looking for an independent clause to call home.]

However, my brother decided to stay home. [This is a sentence, just fine on its own, that cannot be grafted onto another sentence with a comma.]

What to do? The easiest “fix” for the second example above is to create to separate sentences. It is also OK to connect two independent clauses with a semicolon. So:

I went to the race track, however, my brother decided to stay home. (incorrect)

I went to the race track. However, my brother decided to stay home. (correct)

I went to the race track; however, my brother decided to stay home. (also correct)

How to tell which is which? Knowing that “subordinate conjunctions” and “relative adverbs” have different punctuation rules doesn't help all that much if you can't easily determine which is which. Below, I've included a list of the most common examples of each, but who's going to memorize them? Nobody. Here, however, is a handy rule of thumb: If you can move the word around in the clause, it's a relative adverb and needs a semicolon or a new sentence. Observe:

You could write

I went to buy the family's groceries. However, the store was out of milk.

Or you could write

I went to buy the family's groceries. The store, however, was out of milk.

Notice that “however” can be moved about in the sentence somewhat. That's how you know it's a relative adverb. In the examples above, it would need a period or semicolon.

But you can't change

I had to go to the store, because my brother had forgotten to buy milk.

to

I had to go to the store, my brother, because, had forgotten to buy milk. So you know it's a subordinate conjunction. It can only come at the beginning of the clause. Use a comma to hook that clause to a sentence.

(Note: “Because my brother had forgotten the milk, I had to go to the store” similarly cannot become “My brother, because, had forgotten the milk, I had to go to the store.” So it's not about moving the clauses around. It's about whether you can move the words around within the clause.)

Common subordinating conjunctions (OK to use a common): after, although, as, as if, because, before, if, lest, since, so that, than, that, though, till, unless, until, and whether

Common relative adverbs (start a new sentence or use a semicolon): however, also, furthermore, otherwise, then, besides, similarly, therefore, consequently, moreover, still, thus, finally, nevertheless, supposedly, on the other hand. « Go back